Crazy little Thing called Love
by WavesOfSorrow
Summary: Clint had had a hard days work, and was really needing some down time. S.H.I.E.L.D. was always assigning him to missions when all he needed to do was relax. A certain redhead popped by, and he finally got the rest he needed.


"I'm waiting, Coulson."

"Hold it, Barton, I want to see this."

Clint Barton held his bow steady. It was loaded with an arrow aimed to maim the man below him. That man had invaded S.H.I.E.L.D. and gone on a violent rampage, knocking over guards and destroying part of their temporary set-up in his rage filled wake. He was dangerous, and Clint was to injure him from above so the guards hiding below him could take him into custody.

Just hours ago, Clint had gotten a phone call from Coulson. Clint was sitting contentedly in his room, relaxing and just about to have a nap. He was holding up a picture of his partner, the beautiful Natasha Romanoff and thinking about her. He so badly wanted for her to know his true feelings towards her, and often looked at her picture while contemplating how to go about it. He knew how temper mental she could be, and he knew he risked their partnership, which is why he had waited so long to act on his notions. All they had ever had was each other, and he didn't want for his feelings to ruin the only true friend she had ever had. He was in the middle of a daydream when a loud ring interrupted his thoughts. Agent Coulson was on the phone, and was informing him of his newest assignment. Coulson explained that S.H.I.E.L.D. had found a mysterious hammer and needed him to be there immediately. At first Clint thought it was a joke and laughed at him. Coulson didn't say anything for a while and waited for Clint to stop laughing.

Clint breathed and wiped a tear from his eye, "What, you're serious?"

"Yes Agent Barton, very. A plane is waiting outside for you. Board it in fifteen minutes. We expect you to arrive in New Mexico in approximately 3 hours. Your debriefing will happen on site." The phone clicked off, and Agent Coulson ended their phone call.

Clint Barton, also known as Hawkeye, ran a finger through his hair and sighed. Another mission. Great. Just when he had finally gotten some down time…

He hurriedly packed his things from his private hideout and ran to the airstrip outside.

And now he was here, about to kill one of the biggest men he had ever seen in his entire life. And that was saying something. Clint could see the man as if he were right in front of him, even though he was at _least _twenty feet below. He could see every detail, his long, flowing blonde hair that had formed into spiky tendrils from the heavy downpour, and bright blue eyes that shone with happiness. His muscles rippled as his monstrous hands latched onto the hammer encased in stone. Obviously this hammer meant a lot to him if he had come alone, empty-handed and willing to be hunted down by S.H.I.E.L.D. if he got away with it. This mercenary was paid a great deal to perform such a task. A _very _great deal, Clint guessed.

Hawkeye watched as he pulled, bow still aimed straight at him, and saw his face muscles contort in confusion. His brows furrowed and he tried to lift the hammer again. His mouth twisted into an unhappy smile and he dropped to his knees. Then he did something that Clint did not expect – he began crying. He doubted that anyone else was able to see the teardrops that ran down his face and be able to tell them apart from the rain. His bow did not waver, but Hawkeye almost felt genuinely sad for this man. But he almost flinched when he heard a great bellow from below. Hawkeye could see the veins in his neck jutting out in his agony and couldn't believe how loud he was screaming. It had to be at least as loud as an aircraft. This man was full of hurt, and he looked to be in an unbearable amount of pain.

"Last chance, Coulson." Clint said into his communicator.

Coulson's voice clicked in over the radio. "Alright, show's over. Take him in."

Hawkeye let down his bow, and watched as guards streamed in from every side to take down the man. But the man did not resist, and let the guards take him away. Hawkeye thought he saw something flash on the hammer, like a symbol, but he ignored it. His job was done.

He waited for the guards to lower him down from his targeting spot and jumped over the railing, bow in hand, and walked into the S.H.I.E.L.D. temporary building that surrounded the large hammer. He straightened his shoulders and attempted to look professionl, while whipping his head every which way to find the Agent. He finally found him in a large room filled with many blinking lights and seemingly random switches. Clint stalked up to Coulson and laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Look, Coulson, I need to - "

"Clint, just the man I was looking for."

Clint grumbled under his breath, and his face showed how clearly annoyed he was that he had been interrupted. It had been a long night, and he just wanted permission for leave. But he took his hand off of Coulson and gripped them behind his back, regaining a more professional stance.

Coulson gave him that stupid grin, the one where he knew he was in charge and things were going his way. "I've just talked with Director Fury, and we're transferring you to a different S.H.I.E.L.D. establishment. Director Fury will tell you what to do once you get there."

Clint wanted to protest, but he really had no other choice. He was bound to being involved with S.H.I.E.L.D., and that usually meant doing exactly what they told him to do.

Clint only nodded and excused himself to his room.

He opened the door with a heavy sigh. He was tired of being ordered around by S.H.I.E.L.D., and he really just wanted to get away from it all, just for _one_ weekend. Though, being a "superhero" had its disadvantages, it was all worthwhile in the end. Even when things didn't go as planned.

He threw his equipment down in a tired manner and was going to flop himself onto his bed if it weren't for one suspicious-looking red head sitting there quietly with her legs crossed. A very attractive red head.

"Well, don't you seem happy to see me."

Clint breathed in silently. This certainly wasn't planned. Though it wasn't entirely negative either. He was breathless when he saw her; saw how much had changed. She looked different. His heart almost skipped a beat, and he was overcome with joy. He kept himself reserved though, knowing that any stray feelings other than pure down-to-business could potentially destroy their strong bond as partners. He wanted to hold her, tell her how much he had missed her, but decided against it. Afterall, they weren't children anymore.

She uncrossed her legs coyishly and waltzed up to him, as if he should have expected her to be here. He tensed with her approach.

"To be fair, I didn't even know you were in the _country_. It's not one of those things that you ever keep me up to date on, Widow."

She gave him a pouty look, but then her face changed as if she realized she was being seductive around him and became somber. He knew she couldn't help it; it was part of her job. It didn't make her any less tempting, though he would _never_ touch her in that way, not until he was ready. Not like he had never given any thought to it, but he swore to never make a move on her; their partnership ran too deep to screw anything up with feelings. He cleared his throat and looked her in the eyes. Her voice became soft as she talked.

"I'm going to change that Clint, I swear. S.H.I.E.L.D. has us under their grip and sometimes it's all I can do _not_ to tell you. Either one of us could be compromised at any minute, and that sort of information can get a person killed."

She sighed, and ran her fingers through her ruby red hair. It was shorter now. Much shorter.

Hawkeye could only sigh in return. He knew how frustrating it could be to keep tabs on someone when you were in this line of business. He realized he had never even told her that he was here. How did she find him anyways? He didn't bother to ask, since he knew he would only get a sassy reply.

Instead he changed the subject and sarcastically said, "So what's on your mind? Was it so important that it couldn't be left to a phone call?" He grinned up at her.

She returned his gentle smile, and blinked a few times. She turned her back to him and walked towards his bed, fussing with the sheets nervously.

"Uh, yeah…yeah it is important."

She looked up at him with her bright green eyes and began to chew her lip. Clint was a little concerned; he had never seen her this antsy before. Not unless something was _really_ bothering her, and she never knew how to word it.

He walked up to her and held her gaze. He let his hand grip her arm gently. He was so concerned for her well-being; their constant separation had always made it so hard to see if she was doing alright. Normally he was able to tell what was going on just through her facial expressions, but this time was different. It was as if…she was _purposely_ hiding something from him. And had been for a very long time, by the looks of it.

"What is it, Nat?" He furrowed his eyebrows in concern. She loosened her hold on the sheets and stopped chewing her lip. Her big eyes looked up at him. He could tell she was still unsure of how to say whatever she was going to say.

She stumbled on her words and gave a few quiet groans before she said, "It's just that I…I, missed you." She mumbled.

She let her hands fly around his neck and embraced him. He returned the embrace; glad that he could finally hold her, but he knew that this wasn't why she came. She wouldn't travel half way around the world just to give him a _hug. _She was hiding something, and he knew it. He wanted to just hold her a few minutes more, then send her on her way before Coulson discovered she had disobeyed orders and came home to see him, but something was nagging at him at the back of his mind. He felt like he should push things further.

He breathed into her hair, smelling the deep fragrance of apples and cinnamon. He twirled a loose piece of hair in his hands before breaking the hug and pushing it behind her ear softly.

"Why did you really come to see me?"

Her eyes grew wide and her chest rose and fell more rapidly. And before either of them knew what was happening, Natasha Romanoff was pulling Clint into her body and kissing him passionately. His own breath became shallow and he could feel the quick heart beat of his partner through their touch. He licked his lips across hers briefly; they tasted like sweet caramel, and it reminded him of the carnival. He was going to grip her tighter, kiss her deeper, but before he had a chance she broke away from him abruptly and wiped her mouth.

Clint was still processing what had happened exactly. He licked his lips lightly, wishing that she would kiss him again so he could taste them. Her expression looked like a deer in the headlights, and for the first time he saw that she had made her self-vulnerable; made herself the prey instead of the predator.

"I shouldn't have done that." She whispered. Covering her mouth, she looked at him before trying to run out of the room like a scared rabbit.

Clint reached the door faster than she did though, and put a hand on her stomach to stop her from leaving.

"Whoa whoa whoa, hold on now, so you're just going to kiss me and then _leave_? I'm not a restaurant, you can't just "dine and dash"!"

"Well, that's what I was planning on doing, yes."

He could only sigh. He became a little awkward and scratched his head. Now _he_ was the one who looked like he didn't know what to say or how to word it. "Natasha, just wait –"

She stopped him. "Clint, no. This can't happen. _We_ can't happen. My feelings for you and our jobs _completely_ contradict each other. You know as well as I do that S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't allow…" She trailed off and flailed her arms at him. "This."

His heart was racing. He knew what she said to be true, but there was always a special connection between them. At first, he had thought it would only ever go as far as on a professional level. But after she had just _kissed_ him…well, why not on a romantic level too? He had always had feelings for her, though he never admitted it to himself, for fear of being compromised. He knew he promised to himself to never let them get in the way, but she started it! He couldn't let this chance slip away from him. Not when he would lose it and never have another chance at it again. She would be too embarrassed for him to ever want to try anything with her again and never bring it up again if she didn't have to.

He advanced towards her, a determined look on his face. "Natasha…"

"Don't worry Clint, it will never happen again. Things will remain professional from now on. I only needed to come here today to find that out for my self - why are you coming so close to me?"

"Just shut up Nat."

And he placed his lips over her, which certainly did cease the flow of chatter from her mouth. His hands gripped behind her back and he locked them in place so she couldn't get away. Of course she tried to though. In between his kisses she tried to ask, "But I thought –"

"Please…Natasha, you're beautiful. You're the most gorgeous girl I have ever met. How could you ever think…that I wouldn't notice that?" He broke their kiss and stared into her eyes. The loveliest pair of eyes he had ever had the pleasure to gaze upon. They look like the reflected shattered pieces of starlight in the darkness and he didn't dare break eye contact with the goddess he finally knew had deeper feelings for him.

She only sighed, but it came out in a low growl. "I know how beautiful I am Clint, that's why I have my job. I sleep with people for a living to get information out of them. How could anything in what I just said make you desire me? How could anything you've ever seen me _do_ to people make you want to end up like them?"

"It's not about what you do." He countered. "I kill people for a living too, unless you've already forgotten. Sometimes I interrogate people, and not in the just talking to them sort of way. Any normal woman would run away and wouldn't look back. But you're still here."

"You know more about me than most people do. My file with S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't even contain as much information as you know. There aren't many things that I haven't told you. But there's still a lot that I would never tell you. I'm one surprise after the other."

"I know." He stroked her back gently with his thumbs. He understood why she was the way she was. And he didn't mind it, not one bit. In fact, the way she was? Was perfect. There wasn't a thing about her he would change.

"I know and I don't care. I like you just the way you are. Natasha, I've been meaning to tell you how I felt for a…well, a long time. But you have –as always- beaten me to the punch!" He chuckled a bit and held her closer.

She stared up at his blue eyes, looking naïve as a child. "Clint, this is in no way professional. You know how independent I am. One day I may get bored of you and simply leave without so much as an explanation."

He laughed and let go of her. "That's the Natasha I know. Nat – " He gripped her tender face in his calloused hands. "We can do this. I will make it work. When you feel the way that we feel about each other, there is always a way."

Her eyes looked like she might tear up, but she was too strong for that. She only smiled up at him, and he kissed her tenderly in the middle of her forehead.

He put an arm around her waist and walked over to his bed. They crawled inside, and he laid down beside her. He was content to just lay there, stroking her hair. He admired the now short locks of fire that trailed out of her scalp and layed lazily in his hands. He listened to her heart beat while he rested his head on her chest, and she began stroking his hair. He had always hoped that it would come to this, but could never imagine that it actually would. Their legs intertwined with one another's and he kissed her neck softly.

"Clint?" She breathed.

He looked up into her wondrous eyes. "Yeah?"

"I don't want to have sex. I mean, I do, but I…I want it to be the right time. Admittedly, years of giving myself away has left me…well, exhausted."

He nodded and laughed a bit. This was all so sudden, and it almost hurt him to know that she thought he was going to try and go that far so soon…but he understood it had happened before. With people she had _actually_ cared about, not just her "clients". "I like that you're honest. Very straight forward, which doesn't leave a lot of room for guesswork..."

"Not like you'd be smart enough to guess it anyways."

"Hey!" He sat up and kneeled on the bed, throwing a nearby pillow at her.

She squealed giddily and threw it back, but he caught it just before it hit him. They gazed into each other's eyes, and for a moment the world seemed to dissipate around them, and the only view Clint could see was one of an angel kneeling, laughing, in front of him. He let go of the pillow and she tugged him closer to lock her lips onto his. They became lost in each other, and Clint wanted just to hold her. Before things got really steamy, Natasha ruined the moment by taking the pillow he had set down and smacked him upside the head with it.

They laughed together and sighed. Clint knew this was one of those rare moments where Natasha would let herself go and have fun. He took advantage of it, and made the most of it. Clint knew that this was who he wanted to be with – the one person who was immature enough to have simple fun, while at the same time still mature enough to immediately jump into action when business called. She was perfect – good looking, strong willed, independent…everything he had ever wanted all wrapped up into one. He didn't care she may be a little broken on the inside (not like she would ever admit it), and was a little cold and distant, but moments like _this_ were ones that were worth sticking around for.

After they were done goofing off they lay down together on the bed once more; arms wrapped around each other, each others breath felt on the others neck, hearts beating in sync, strokes and glances making their souls intertwine with one another's in perfect harmony until their eyelids fell with exhaustion and fell into a deep slumber. It was the most peaceful sleep Clint had ever had.


End file.
